Her Watcher
by Christine Boots Young
Summary: A young woman learns that her pet raven isn't a bird at all


Her Watcher

"That raven has been sitting there all afternoon. It is really getting on my nerves." Miranda said, looking out her bedroom window. Her best friend, Heidi lifted her face from the fashion magazine. She knew the raven that Miranda was talking about. The raven lived in the large oak outside her own bedroom window.

"Get out of here!" Miranda yelled. She had opened the window and shouted at the raven. The raven sat in the branch, remaining still. Miranda shouted again, but he still did not move. The raven's eyes had a childish glee; he seemed to be laughing at Miranda. Heidi had to smile.

Miranda turned from the window in anger. She walked to her dresser and grabbed a tennis ball. Miranda started back to the window. Heidi did not give it a second thought and stepped in front of her.

"You're not going to throw anything at him!" Heidi hissed at her. She knocked the ball from Miranda's hand. "He has not done anything to you. He is here because I am here." Miranda had to step back from Heidi. She was standing very close to Miranda and was very angry.

"I'm sorry, Heidi." Miranda whispered. Heidi turned away from Miranda and walked to the window. She braced herself with the window sill. Heidi leaned out and looked at the raven.

"I will see you at home." Heidi said. The raven bobbed his head and flew away.

"I will see you tomorrow, Miranda." Heidi turned and gathered her black trench coat and book sack. She kissed Miranda on the cheek and walked out the door.

Later in the afternoon…

The wind blew the dried leaves across the sidewalks. Heidi wrapped her coat tighter around her body as she walked. She decided to take her time walking home. She enjoyed the changing weather. The cold nipped at her nose and made her cheeks turn pink. Many of the people were rushing around, not wanting to get chilled Heidi giggled and walked slower. She was savoring the cool taste in the air.

"Hello, you." Heidi said. The raven was sitting on a park bench. She held out her hand and waited. The raven launched from the bench and flew to her hand. He perched there, wrapping his talons around her slender finger. With her free hand, she reached into her coat pocket and pulled out broken crackers she kept in there for him. After finishing the cracker crumbles, he rubbed his head against her hand. She smiled at the raven as she stroked his chest. Heidi stated home again with the raven riding on her hand. As she walked, she remembered the first day she met the raven. That was six years ago.

Heidi brought the last box from the truck. Moving from New York City to Friendship, Maine was an adventure for her. She still could not believe that her young life fitted into several boxes and bags. She looked around her new, larger room, bare and blank.

The window was nice. A large bay window overlooking onto the huge front yard was hers. Heidi walked to it and opened it wide. Fresh air rushed into the room with the scent of the ocean. She closed her eyes as she took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes, she noticed a dark figure in the large oak. Once she had focused her eyes on the figure, she realized that it was a raven.

"Hello, you." Heidi said. The raven cocked his head to the left. She smiled and went to her back sack. She had crackers left over from the road trip there. She crushed up the crackers into her hands. Heidi placed the crumbles on the window sill and left to unpack the boxes and bags.

Hours later, the blank room looked more like her room in New York, but spacer. Heidi changed her clothes into her Hello Kitty nightgown and returned to the window. The raven was still sitting on the window sill. Heidi smiled at the raven, giving him more crackers. A bond was formed that night.

Present day. During the midnight hours…

Heidi left the bay window open as she went to bed. Since the raven began to eat out of her hand, he has also started coming into her room. Heidi did not mind for the raven to sit at her desk as she would do her homework .She enjoy his company and never felt alone.

Many times, she found herself crying into her pillow and the raven would listen to her problems. The raven would even fly to her bed and push her long, light brown hair from her green eyes with his beak. Other times, he would land on her shoulder and wrap his wings around her, as if he was hugging her.

Beside, the raven started to tap at the window at night over two years ago. He wanted to be let in, to be closer to her. Heidi did sleep better when the raven was sitting at the foot of her cast iron bed.

Heidi awoke with a start in the middle of the night. The presence of the raven changes and she felt it. She reached over to the nightstand and click on the lamp. Dim light cast shadows on the walls, but the raven was not at his post. Darker than the shadows, a figure stood still. Heidi sat up in bed, untwisting her flannel nightgown. She knew she should scream out to her parents, but she did not feel fear towards this figure. The presence was of the raven, it was just different.

"Hello." Heidi whispered, climbing out of her bed. The figure nodded as stepped into the dim light. His pale face was shadowed by the brim of a black newsboy cap. His clothes consist of a long sleeve, button down shirt and baggy jeans. Made from black material and covered his whole body, except for the top three buttons left unbuttoned. His flesh seen to glow in the light.

Heidi stepped around her bed. She suddenly stopped as her bare foot rested on a soft item. Moving her foot to see, she began to panic. "Where is the raven?" She hissed at the man as she reached down for the single black feather. "What have you have done to him?" Heidi stepped up to the man. Being so close to him, Heidi realized how much taller he was than her. She glanced down, hoping to see heeled boots. He was wearing plain black sneakers.

"I am the raven." He whispered to her. Heidi stepped back. She did not stop until she felt the bed frame at her back. Heidi still did not feel afraid.

The man did not move from his place, but his hands went to his cap. Removing the cap caused a waterfall of pitch black hair to flow. His hair ended at his narrow waist. The light was now allow to show the dark mustache that grew under his straight nose and the same colored go-tee displayed on his chin.

"You can't be the raven. You are a human, not a bird." Heidi whispered loudly. Her hands were turning white from grasping the bed frame. The feather, now resting on the blanket had fallen out of her hands. The man dropped his head a little and smiled. When he raised his eyes back to Heidi, she recognized those eyes. The soft yellow eyes of the raven. "Oh my God."

He stepped closer. "I am a kindred. I am a protector of humans. My sole purpose is life is to protect you." Heidi blinked for a few moments. Protect her from what and for how long? "I have watched over you since you were born. I witnessed your birth from the window at your old house."

"I have only seen you since my family moved here. It has only been six years."

"Humans did not know that kindreds exist. We never reveal ourselves to our charges. It is not a rule, but it makes the transfer from one charge to another easier." The man said, quietly. His hands were knotting and unknotting themselves. There was more.

"You revealed yourself to me. Why? I am nothing special."

"You are special." The man said, closing the space between them. "I have watched your life, seen you grow up. You have become a beautiful young woman in front of my own eyes." He placed his hands softly on her arms. Heidi looked up to him, seeing a tinkle of light dance within his eyes.

"I have revealed myself to you because…because I have fallen in love with you." He reached up and gently touched her cheek with the back of his fingers. His touch reminded her of the raven's wings, very soft.

"This is too much," Heidi started, "too much to believe. I don't understand. I am just human." He stood there, looking into her eyes. Finally, he nodded and turned away from her. Fear gripped her now. The fear that he would never come to her again.

He did not leave. As he turned around, he began to unbutton his shirt. The man allowed his shirt to fall slowly off his shoulders to the floor. Heidi stood in awe. His back, his entire back was tattooed. Two large raven wings covered the skin from his shoulders passed his waist. His black briefs hid the tips of his wings. The detailing of the wings made them look so real. She could see the individual feathers. Without realizing it, Heidi reached out her hand. Her fingers brushed against the wings, excepting to feel skin. Beneath her fingertips, she felt the soft feathers of the raven.

She covered her mouth to muffle her scream. It could not be real; it had to be a dream. Heidi closed her eyes, trying to wake herself up. When she opened her eyes, the man had turned around. His chest was well-defined and muscular.

"I know this is really happening, but I cannot understand…"

"There are many things in the world that people did not understand. It does not matter if there is understanding; it matters if there is belief." The man cut her off softly. His hand returned to her cheek. His fingers gently stroked her skin. Heidi caught his hand with hers and held it to her face.

"I do believe. I believe in you." Heidi whispered. His other hand went to her face. Slowly, he lowered his face to hers. Their eyes remain opened until his lip touched her lips. Heidi's eyes began to flutter as her hands dropped to her sides.

His hands went from her cheeks to her hair, weaving his fingers through her locks. Heidi gently placed her hands into his ads. His skin was hot beneath her hands. Heidi moved her hands up to his firm chest. Her fingers played at the cape of his neck.

His lips moved across her mouth softly. The movements were so slow, to take pleasure in her taste. The man unwove his hands from her hair. His hands roamed across her back, playing with her skin through her nightgown. At last, his hands curved themselves around her waist. The man pulled Heidi to his body, wrapping her into his arms.

Heidi moaned against his lips. Her arms wrapped themselves around his neck. The moment they within each other's arms, their mouths open. Tongues danced with the other, slowly. Together, they explored new found places, relish with the new taste. They withdrew their tongues back into their own mouths. They continued to place small kisses on lips, cheeks, and chins, Heidi rested her head on his bare chest. He stroked her back with one hand. With his other hand, he pushed hair out from her eyes.

"This is my first kiss." Heidi whispered. The man smiled and kissed the top of her head.

"Mine too." He whispered back.

"Heidi. Are you okay?" Her dad said, after opening the door. Heidi stood shock. How would she explain about the man in her bedroom?

"Dad! I can explain." Her eyes went searching for the man. He was gone. "I could not sleep, so I thought I would talk myself into sleep." She finished quickly, half believing it herself. Her dad cocked his eyebrow for a moment and smiled. He said goodnight and closed her door.

The man had disappeared from her arms. It had all been a dream. Heidi sank to her floor and began to cry. Her hands landed on fabric that was not her shag rug. She dried her eyes and looked. It was his black shirt.

It was real. He was real. She grabbed the shirt and went to her window. The raven sat on the branch, looking at her. She smiled and turned from the window. She crossed the bedroom floor to her door. Softly, the door was locked.

Heidi glanced down at her flannel nightgown for a mere second. She slipped it off. She tossed the gown at the foot of the bed. Heidi don on the black shirt. She buttoned just a few buttons, leaving cleavage and the lace of her black hipster panties to be seen.

Heidi crawled back into her bed and waited. She had almost fallen asleep when she heard the rustle of wings. After she heard the wings, the sound of shoes softly being dropped on the floor followed. She smiled when she felt the weight of someone tall lying down next to her. The man wrapped her within his arms again, pulling her to his body. He kissed her shoulder and nestled his face onto her neck.

"What is your name?" Heidi asked, weaving her fingers into his. He lifted his head up and smiled. He kissed her cheek.

"Raven." He whispered into her ear.


End file.
